New York Giants star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has requested a trade, and the Chicago Bears should be the first team on the phone with Giants GM Joe Schoen.
“ESPN Sources: Giants All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has requested a trade and he will not be participating in the team’s off-season workout program that opens Tuesday,” Adam Schefter tweeted out on X. “Lawrence and the Giants have been through two off seasons attempting to negotiate a contract reflecting his value to the Giants over the last three years, but there has not been any progress, per sources.”
Lawrence is one of the top defensive tackles in the NFL who can completely change any team he goes to, especially the Bears. Since being drafted in the first round back in 2019, he’s racked up 341 total tackles, 30.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and is still just 28 years old.
Bears Gifted With Prime Opportunity to Add Dexter Lawrence Amid Trade Request News
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo provided some more context on the developing situation surrounding Dexter Lawrence.
“Teams inquired about Dexter Lawrence leading up to the trade deadline but those talks went nowhere, as #Giants GM Joe Schoen wasn’t moving a big piece minus a huge haul. Schoen reiterated in Feb ‘the plan is for Dexter to be on the roster’ but we’ll see how this round plays out.”
Lawrence has two years left on his four-year, $87.5 million contract with Spotrac adding that he’ll have a cap hit of $20 million in 2026 and $19.5 million in 2027.
The Bears, on the other hand, are currently dead last in the NFL with around $243,000 in available cap space, according to OvertheCap.com.
That doesn’t mean they are stuck at the bottom in terms of cap space. There are several restructures Chicago can make with key players like Kyler Gordon, Cole Kmet, and Jaylon Johnson.
For an elite player like Lawrence, the Bears could find a way to bring him on the roster despite being tight on cap space.
“The U.S. Military could not keep Ryan Poles away from that phone,” Brett Kollmann jokingly added on Schefter’s post regarding Lawrence.
Projected Trade Cost
GettyDexter Lawrence #97 of the New York Giants reacts against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Giants won’t trade Lawrence unless they get a good return. Teams were calling on his availability before, and New York wasn’t budging.
Even with Lawrence now requesting a trade, it’s hard to envision a scenario where, if the Giants do decide to trade him, they don’t receive at least a first-round pick plus more premium draft capital.
“How important is he? Really important,” Giants head coach John Harbaugh said regarding Lawrence back in February. “He’s super important. He’s a cornerstone football player — not really a cornerstone, more like the middle stone. He’s right in the middle. He’s a very big stone, and he’s a very active, athletic one.”
There’s no way around it; if the Bears decide to go out and trade for Lawrence, they’d have to be all in. A trade package could look like the following:
Bears Receive: Dexter Lawrence
Giants Receive: Picks 25, 57, 2027 sixth-round pick
It’s a lot to give up, but Lawrence would address a huge weak spot on the Bears’ defense and provide the team with some much-needed juice in the interior.
At least the Bears would still have one of their two second-round picks, right?
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